If one wants to read the best edition in English of Jules Verne's TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, the edition to turn to is edited by Mr. Walter Miller, and published by Washington Square Press. Miller did a wonderful job at showing how the editions of the novel have been bowdlerized over the last 137 years (it was published in 1870) by translators who were determined to dampen the anti-imperialist/anti-British theme of the novel. Miller (who also did the definitive modern edition of FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON) did the first edition about 1985 and the second edition in the 1990s.
Someone, at the start of the novel, has been attacking various ships on the seven seas, ramming them from underwater. In several cases the ships almost been sunk (in the movie one is blown up). Yet the culprit, from the descriptions of survivors, seems to be a monstrous fish or sea serpent. An expedition is sent out by the U.S. government under a Captain Farragut (Ted De Corsia here), in the brig U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. On board is harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas), Professor Pierre Arronax of France (an expert on oceanography - played by Paul Lukas), and Arronax loyal servant Conseil (Peter Lorre). Despite the doubts of Captain Farragut, Arronax is certain it must be a serpent.
Eventually the Lincoln is attacked by the strange creature and Land, Arronax, and Conseil are thrown off the brig and land on the "creature". It turns out to be a submarine boat, and it's owner and navigator is Captain Nemo (James Mason). Although at first willing to sink his boat below the ocean's surface to allow the three men to drown, he changes his mind - but insists that they are now his prisoners. And the three are taken on a cruise of the world's seas by Nemo for the rest of the novel.
Now, it was a novel written in 1870. At that time submarines were experimented with, but with indifferent success. Cornelius Drebbel had built a successful one that was tried in the Thames in the 17th Century. David Bushnell's "Turtle" had tried to sink a British frigate in New York Harbor in 1776. Robert Fulton had designed a successful submarine in 1802, and tried to interest first England and then France in his weapon. In 1859 a French submarine was tried out. Then in 1864 (although it is doubtful if Verne knew about it) the Confederate hand-cranked submarine C.S.S. Hunley successfully sank the U.S.S. Housatonic in the first successful submarine attack in war. The problem was that submarines looked flimsy as opposed to the strong looking frigates and naval surface craft at the time (including early ironclads). Also, to be truthful, there seemed something sneaky about warfare under water.
But Verne took it one step farther - the submarine "Nautilus" is designed for comfort, not only for warfare (more hereafter). It has luxurious accommodations like a parlor with organ, a museum of various nautical curiosities, a library, staterooms for Nemo, his guests, and his crew. So far, in the 108 years since John P. Holland's submarine was bought by the U.S., the idea of a luxury yacht submarine has not caught on yet - particularly the parlor has a thick glass window to allow you to see the creatures of the sea like in a vast fish bowl.
Verne did mention electricity as the key to the motion power of the ship - the film suggests Nemo has discovered a new power to move the engines (i.e. "atomic"). Verne never dealt with atomic power - one of the few examples of a lack of imagination that Verne ever showed. He was a firm believer in modes of propulsion that one could see and feel - hence his attack on H.G.Wells' use of "cavourite" in the FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, which was a chemical based on hydrogen. Verne's moon cannon "the Columbiad" worked with gun-cotton.
The key to the novel was the political attack on imperialism - in particular British. In the attacks of the Nautilus on the ships, it does the worst damage to British based ships. The reason is that Nemo is an ex-Indian Prince named Dakar from the Sepoy Revolt. Unless you read the complete novel you do not realize that the Prince lost his wife and children in the reprisal killings of the Sepoy Revolt, and he and his men are cruising the seas doing damage to the British Empire (financing anti-British activity throughout the empire when they can). The explorations of the seas is secondary to the political reasons for Nemo's actions.
Some of the adventures of the Nautilus and it's crew and passengers are exciting, but now are dismissed as false. The submarine cruised under the ice to reach the South Pole - actually it would not get far due to the Antarctic continent. But in the 20th Century the U.S.S. Nautilus (the first nuclear powered submarine) cruised under the ice to reach the North Pole in the 1950s.
Mason gives a good performance as the tormented Nemo, who is basically a good man but is consumed by hatred (although it is never made clear why). Douglas is good as a happy go lucky (but realistic) sailor, who is determined to escape. Also this film is one of the few where Douglas sings ("A Whale of a Tale"). Peter Lorre does well as Lucas' servant, who gradually realizes that his employer has become besotted by the "learning experience" of staying with Nemo forever - Lucas forgets the danger he and his associates are in. The special effects, for 1954, are first rate - and the film remains quite effective. It is possibly the best film ever made out of a Jules Verne novel.
Someone, at the start of the novel, has been attacking various ships on the seven seas, ramming them from underwater. In several cases the ships almost been sunk (in the movie one is blown up). Yet the culprit, from the descriptions of survivors, seems to be a monstrous fish or sea serpent. An expedition is sent out by the U.S. government under a Captain Farragut (Ted De Corsia here), in the brig U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. On board is harpooner Ned Land (Kirk Douglas), Professor Pierre Arronax of France (an expert on oceanography - played by Paul Lukas), and Arronax loyal servant Conseil (Peter Lorre). Despite the doubts of Captain Farragut, Arronax is certain it must be a serpent.
Eventually the Lincoln is attacked by the strange creature and Land, Arronax, and Conseil are thrown off the brig and land on the "creature". It turns out to be a submarine boat, and it's owner and navigator is Captain Nemo (James Mason). Although at first willing to sink his boat below the ocean's surface to allow the three men to drown, he changes his mind - but insists that they are now his prisoners. And the three are taken on a cruise of the world's seas by Nemo for the rest of the novel.
Now, it was a novel written in 1870. At that time submarines were experimented with, but with indifferent success. Cornelius Drebbel had built a successful one that was tried in the Thames in the 17th Century. David Bushnell's "Turtle" had tried to sink a British frigate in New York Harbor in 1776. Robert Fulton had designed a successful submarine in 1802, and tried to interest first England and then France in his weapon. In 1859 a French submarine was tried out. Then in 1864 (although it is doubtful if Verne knew about it) the Confederate hand-cranked submarine C.S.S. Hunley successfully sank the U.S.S. Housatonic in the first successful submarine attack in war. The problem was that submarines looked flimsy as opposed to the strong looking frigates and naval surface craft at the time (including early ironclads). Also, to be truthful, there seemed something sneaky about warfare under water.
But Verne took it one step farther - the submarine "Nautilus" is designed for comfort, not only for warfare (more hereafter). It has luxurious accommodations like a parlor with organ, a museum of various nautical curiosities, a library, staterooms for Nemo, his guests, and his crew. So far, in the 108 years since John P. Holland's submarine was bought by the U.S., the idea of a luxury yacht submarine has not caught on yet - particularly the parlor has a thick glass window to allow you to see the creatures of the sea like in a vast fish bowl.
Verne did mention electricity as the key to the motion power of the ship - the film suggests Nemo has discovered a new power to move the engines (i.e. "atomic"). Verne never dealt with atomic power - one of the few examples of a lack of imagination that Verne ever showed. He was a firm believer in modes of propulsion that one could see and feel - hence his attack on H.G.Wells' use of "cavourite" in the FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, which was a chemical based on hydrogen. Verne's moon cannon "the Columbiad" worked with gun-cotton.
The key to the novel was the political attack on imperialism - in particular British. In the attacks of the Nautilus on the ships, it does the worst damage to British based ships. The reason is that Nemo is an ex-Indian Prince named Dakar from the Sepoy Revolt. Unless you read the complete novel you do not realize that the Prince lost his wife and children in the reprisal killings of the Sepoy Revolt, and he and his men are cruising the seas doing damage to the British Empire (financing anti-British activity throughout the empire when they can). The explorations of the seas is secondary to the political reasons for Nemo's actions.
Some of the adventures of the Nautilus and it's crew and passengers are exciting, but now are dismissed as false. The submarine cruised under the ice to reach the South Pole - actually it would not get far due to the Antarctic continent. But in the 20th Century the U.S.S. Nautilus (the first nuclear powered submarine) cruised under the ice to reach the North Pole in the 1950s.
Mason gives a good performance as the tormented Nemo, who is basically a good man but is consumed by hatred (although it is never made clear why). Douglas is good as a happy go lucky (but realistic) sailor, who is determined to escape. Also this film is one of the few where Douglas sings ("A Whale of a Tale"). Peter Lorre does well as Lucas' servant, who gradually realizes that his employer has become besotted by the "learning experience" of staying with Nemo forever - Lucas forgets the danger he and his associates are in. The special effects, for 1954, are first rate - and the film remains quite effective. It is possibly the best film ever made out of a Jules Verne novel.